Designed to transfer scientific knowledge to scientists in the developing world, SSI’s Scientific Capacity-Building Program continued to carry on its 21-year long mission. We did so through hands-on workshops, small research grants, and material aid donations. The training cycle started in January with a workshop on scientific manuscript-writing in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Co-sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Higiene y Medicina Tropical of Ecuador, the workshop trained 18 scientists and provided them with the skills needed to transform existing data into publishable material. The workshop offered one-on-one tutoring from experts in the discipline, scientific advice, and technical writing skills. By the end of an intense week, trainees had in hand a solid first draft of their manuscript.

In February, we launched a Special Topic Workshop in Managua, Nicaragua, on ‘Impact Evaluation for Public Health’. A successful international, multi-institutional training collaboration, the workshop fostered building of knowledge networks in the region, in addition to training in impact evaluation itself. Co-sponsored by the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública in Mexico, the Center for Evaluation for Global Action at the University of California, Berkeley, and the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health, the workshop trained 45 participants from five Central American countries and Mexico. In July, SSI conducted two workshops in Panama City, Panamá; one on scientific manuscript-writing and one on grant proposal-writing. Co-sponsored by Panamá's National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (SENACYT), the workshops trained 34 and 25 participants, respectively. We returned to Panamá in September for another workshop on grant proposal-writing. Co-sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), this workshop provided 14 scientists with the skills they need to pursue financial support for future research projects. In October, SSI co-sponsored the 1st Latin American Open Source Health Informatics Meeting (1ra Reunion de Informatica Medica Codigo Abierto - IMeCA 2009) in Lima, Perú with collaborators from Partners in Health (Boston), Socios en Salud (Perú), the international OpenMRS and OpenROSA communities, the social enterprise eHealth Systems (Chile) and with the support of the IDRC of Canada and PAHO. Forty-five participants from 11 countries in the region participated in an interactive forum and week-long workshop to address the urgent need to build local capacity in health information technologies in Latin America at a critical time in the global dialogue about eHealth.

In addition to the workshops, we awarded research grants to Betzabé Rodriguez from Nicaragua for the project: "Use of polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Plasmodium in residents from three municipalities in Chinandega" and to Manuel Baldeón from Ecuador for the project: "Study of plants with pharmacological potential from the Maquipucuna Reserve in the Pichincha Province". A small grant supported Hector Ricardo from Argentina to purchase used scientific equipment for the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular in Rosario, Argentina. Lastly, we sent donated scientific equipment and supplies worth $75,000 to Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panamá. When combined with the training workshops, these donations help create full-scope laboratories able to perform high-quality scientific research.

Note: To sustain our goal of supporting researchers and laboratories in the developing world, we are in urgent need of funds and sponsorships. Can we count on you? Please, make an online donation at www.ssilink.org or send us a check. Any amount helps! Thank you!!!